Even rats like a good giggle | News.blog | CNET News.com

￼I knew this one was true. Some of my ratties like to be tickled. The boys seem to like more than the girls. Lucy my first rattie, used to love it.

March 31, 2005, 4:03 PM PST

Even rats like a good giggle

Turns out rats may have a sense of humor–and not just for knock-knock jokes about the Orkin man.

According to a Thursday report on ABC News’ Web site, the rodents get a kick out of being tickled. And while pet rat owners probably don’t want to test the theory at home, it may shed light on the evolution of human laughter.

￼ABC News says researchers at Ohio’s Bowling Green State University found that rats emit chirps of glee when tickled, though the sounds are made at ultrasonic tones five times higher than the human ear can hear.

What’s more, neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp reports in this week’s issue of the jo